Known conveyors comprise guiding structures, which are adjustable for setting various width and/or height positions.
Conveyors may be used for transporting containers to a printer head or marking device as specific examples of a processing device. These devices may be adjusted to larger or smaller containers so as to provide a printing or another kind of marking, for example a label, on a surface thereof.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,702 B2 relates to a remotely adjustable railing support posts for conveyor lines. The adjustable railing support post system comprises a conveyor and a railing for the conveyor, wherein the conveyor is used for transporting several types of containers of various shapes and sizes. The railing is supported by a plurality of support posts, said support posts being each supported by a plurality of actuators. Each actuator is connected to a controller, said controller being operable to sequentially adjust the support posts relative to the conveyor until all of the support posts have been adjusted to transport containers of one particular shape and size. The controller has a memory to retain a position of each support post relative to the conveyor for each type of container to be transported. The memory is accessible to automatically return said support posts to a configuration to transport that type of container.
If a container of a different width is conveyed by the conveyor, it may move laterally while passing by the printer head, if the container is not securely guided. Thus, the printing quality may suffer, like a misprinted product pass or a not validated item, if the container is not reliably guided by the guiding structure. To avoid this drawback, an operator may manually adjust the guiding structure. However, the adjusting process needs to be performed a plurality of times if containers of different sizes are processed. There may be even cases where an operator cannot carry out the adjustment, since the guiding portion is covered by a protective wall or the like. In these cases, it may be necessary to stop the production process for adjusting the guiding structure.
Another drawback in art is that the guiding structure needs to be adjusted as a whole, which is relatively time-consuming.
In other cases, the container widths are entered manually and this information is saved in a memory of a controller. Later on, the information can be retrieved from the controller or by an operator pushing a bottom for performing the changeover. Consequently, errors may occur and adapting the guiding structure is time consuming.
The above examples referring to drawbacks are merely intended to enhance the understanding of the background of the invention and may contain information that is not known to the public.